The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-25

ness. He could not But because all could not
be grasped, should everything be discarded Be
cause faculty was limited, it good sense to
destroy it? Ingersoll says mature is God"
WE'LL what is nature? Let Mr.. Ingersoll define
it. He then quoted from 1ngersoll's lecture In
which he claimed that man was created with
out purpose and obliterated without regret" If
that was Mr.. lngersolls GOD the Christian did
not want him, and Ingersoll could just keep such
God all TO his little lone sweet self, and get all
the comfort possible contemplating his rare and
glorious attributes as defined and enumerated by
his eloquent tongue.
The speaker then referred at length to Inger-
soils f1ppaut and indecent assaults upon the
Bible, and pointed out what he termed the bald
Measurements, the senseless assertions, and the
reckless disregard for truth which characterized
IngersolPs assault upon the holy book. 1t two
hundred millions of people never heard of this
book, as Ingersoll claimed. wasn't it strange that
it should have caused such awful havocY And
yet the Christian for nearly two thousand years
had believed in this book, and it had been his
hope and consolation. 1t had some vitality left,
and looked a little if it had some hold on the
thought of the world. If IL was not inspired. 1t
was none the less the most wonderful book in all
this world. 1t was the book of books. the mas
terpiece of all ages, and vet Mr.. Ingersoll says
he could write far better book himself He
then referred to the number of books written by
Ingersoll, and humorousy inquired which one he
regarded better than the Bible he complained Of
Such a statement of Ingersoll could only have
emanated from man thrown upon the noun
tain tops of conceit, contemplating with serene
and lofty admiration the measursless expanse Of
his own egotism
He then dealt at some length with Ingsr-
soils attempted absolute denial of the use
and value of authority in all matters of faith
and morals. Ingersol he said, as he appeared
to himself, giant clutching the Christian
with one hand. tearing down his church with
the other and contemptuously kicking aside the
Bible at the same time. He thinks he will
smash the church, but he is mistaken; the
church will smash him. The philosophy he
teaches has had its day. AS we'll might child
seek to hold this big round globe of ours in his
tiny palm, or prison all the waters of its surg
ing seas in the laughing dimples of his baby
face, as for Mr. Ingersol to try with his false
philosophy, his puerile gas and gush. to stay the
onward and majestic sweep of Gods eterEvt
truth. In closing. the speaker declared that the
opinions of Ingersoll, if put in practice would
destroy all that was deemed the best in the in
dividual. in society, and in government, and
that the man who would begin this work of
destruction, whether he smiled scowled,
laughed or cursed was simply vandal. niger
soil would rob the world of its most
precious truths and inheritance; take
from the human heart its dearest
hopes; tear up the tree of life;
in his place give US the audacity. conceit, AFRO
gance and emptiness Of Robert G. Ingersoll.
Out of the past the world has saved few me-
MORALS of its heritage and future rest and
among them was the cross of Christ Mr.. Inger-
soil derided that cross, and practically proposed
to cruelty the Redeemer of the world again. If
he should succeed in extngushing Christianity,
this world would be wrapt in a darkness more
massive and terrible than that which of old
brooded over Egypt's sands. His philosophy
offered no hope for the dying, no consolation for
the living. He destroys-uot builds up Chris
tianity, on the contrary. Its up the living. con-
soles the dying. and offers to all mankind the
love of God, the universal parent He closed
with the following eloquent peroration: And
so, after all these years of doubt and desolation,
the noon-tide of Christianity echoes with the
same faith and utters itself in the same strains
that were heard in the shadowy morning of the
far-off past, and will still be heard in the far
distant future of our race when man has learned
the old lesson better, that love created this uni
verse; and throbs eLernally through it from the
great white throne down to every desolate human
heart
General Sheridans audience was highly ap-
preciative one and quite a number fingered after
the lecture among them several clergymen, to
shake hands with the eloquent speaker. After
returning to the Denison House he visited
by a number of gentlemen. In conversation he
said his lecture was low beginning to take form.
He bad not delivered it in many places. He had
a few other places in New York State. where he
His first delivery at Washington was highly
again, which he did before intellectual an au-
ing here he delivered it in Chicago to a large au-
saw Ind, and later at Marquette Mich, Rock.
ford, ILL.,, and other places. Next year, with
this and other lectures, General Sheridan will
lecture under the management OF the Redpath
Lyceum Bureau.